Pedicures are typically performed in a salon or spa. During a pedicure, a foot may be treated with creams, lotions, hot wax or other skin conditioning softeners. Typically, a pedicure also includes painting the toe-nails of the foot with nail polish. Nail polish may require a minimum of one hour to dry, during which time it is important to prevent any material or foreign objects from contacting the freshly coated toe-nails. As is well known to individuals who obtain pedicures, even if the polish is dry to the touch, the polish can scratch easily should the individual attempt to wear tight fitting shoes or inadvertently come into contact with another surface before the polish has cured to its final density and hardness.
During a pedicure, toe-separating slippers often are used to assist a pedicurist by inhibiting the toes from touching each other during application of nail polish to each toe. The most basic pedicure slippers are generally made from a disposable paper fabric. More sophisticated slippers may include a semi-rigid sole and enable the individual receiving the pedicure to walk immediately or to drive a car with freshly polished toe-nails. The ability to walk or to drive a car with freshly polished toenails eliminates the need for the individual receiving the pedicure to remain at the salon until the nail polish dries. However, conventional pedicure slippers and shoes are not generally suitable for use in inclement weather. For example, in northern latitudes during the winter months, conventional pedicure slippers and shoes do not provide suitable warmth and protection from slush and snow. Further, typical pedicure slippers may not be appropriate footwear for many occasions. Even if conventional pedicure shoes or slippers allow an individual to depart a salon before the polish is dry, the individual may be limited by the informal qualities of conventional pedicure shoes or slippers as to where he or she may go. Thus, while conventional pedicure shoes and slippers may be practical in a few instances, in many instances they are inadequate.
Many conventional pedicure shoes and slippers, for example the shoes and slippers disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,987 to Perez; U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,837 to Poulos; U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,893 to Schlamp, et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,580 to Tadayan, separate a wearers toes to prevent the toes from inadvertently marring the freshly polished nails. Some pedicure shoes and slippers also protect the freshly polished nails from contact with other surfaces or materials. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,823 to Yates (“Yates”) discloses a pedicure slipper system including a slipper assembly having a plurality of toe separation cushion assemblies on the sole of the slipper assembly and a removable toe cover assembly for shielding the toes. The removable toe cover assembly may be installed over the forward part of an individual's foot, including the toes, after the foot is inserted in the slipper. While the Yates slipper separates an individual's toes and provides some protection to freshly polished nails, it does not provide adequate protection from the elements to the individual wearing the slipper.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a pedicure shoe system wherein a foot may be easily inserted into the shoe while wearing a pedicure slipper, wherein the pedicure shoe provides additional protection to the freshly coated toes, and wherein the pedicure shoe is configured to provide the comfort and versatility similar to a conventional shoe.
From the foregoing it will be seen there is room for improvement of pedicure shoes.